![]() Artist's conception of the Pioneer 6–9 spacecraft. | |
Mission type | Interplanetary space |
---|---|
Operator | NASA |
COSPAR ID | Pioneer 6 1965-105A Pioneer 7 1966-075A Pioneer 8 1967-123A Pioneer 9 1968-100A |
SATCAT no. | Pioneer 6 1841 Pioneer 7 2398 Pioneer 8 3066 Pioneer 9 3533 |
Mission duration | Pioneer 6 34 years, 11 months and 22 days Pioneer 7 28 years, 7 months and 14 days Pioneer 8 28 years, 8 months and 9 days Pioneer 9 14 years, 6 months and 11 days |
Spacecraft properties | |
Manufacturer | TRW |
Launch mass | Pioneer 6 62.14 kg Pioneer 7 62.75 kg Pioneer 8 and 9 65.36 kg |
Power | 79 W |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | Pioneer 6 16 December 1965, 07:31:21 UTC[1] Pioneer 7 17 August 1966, 15:20:17 UTC[2] Pioneer 8 13 December 1967, 14:08 UTC [3] Pioneer 9 8 November 1968, 09:46:29 UTC[4] Pioneer E 27 August 1969, 21:59:00 UTC |
Rocket | Pioneer 6 to 9 Delta E Pioneer E Delta L |
Launch site | Pioneer 6, 7 and E Cape Canaveral, LC-17A Pioneer 8 and 9 Cape Canaveral, LC-17B |
End of mission | |
Last contact | Pioneer 6 8 December 2000 Pioneer 7 31 March 1995 Pioneer 8 22 August 1996 Pioneer 9 19 May 1983 |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Heliocentric |
Perihelion altitude | between 0.75 to 1 AU |
Aphelion altitude | between 0.99 to 1.2 AU |
Pioneer 6, 7, 8, and 9 were space probes in the Pioneer program, launched between 1965 and 1969. They were a series of solar-orbiting, spin-stabilized, solar cell- and battery-powered satellites designed to obtain measurements on a continuing basis of interplanetary phenomena from widely separated points in space.[5] They were also known as Pioneer A, B, C, and D. The fifth (Pioneer E) was lost in a launch accident, and therefore did not receive a numerical designation.
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